For years, Instagram users have created separate fake accounts for themselves, or “finstas,” to keep parts of their lives separate and maintain privacy. Facebook never officially embraced this practice, but it didn’t step in to stop it, either. However, the company announced this week that creating alt accounts will now be an official feature of the platform.

Facebook users will now be able to create up to four additional profiles, and you can switch between them from the toolbar menu without logging out of your account. According to the company, these profiles may help users who want to compartmentalize their online experience.

“Whether you’re new to Facebook or a longtime user, you may want to keep your personal and professional relationships separate, or you may want to keep one profile tied to a community you’re a part of and another profile just for friends,” Meta wrote in a post announcing the new feature. “Creating multiple personal profiles lets you easily organize who you share with and what content you see for the various parts of your life. Think one profile for the foodie scene you love and another one to keep up with your friends and family.”

To create an alt profile, click on your profile picture in the top right corner. Next, click on the ‘See all profiles‘ button, and at the bottom of the list is the option to create a new profile.

This may seem like a minor feature on the surface, but it could be potentially huge for users who are looking to strengthen their privacy. The more control Facebook users have over who sees their content, the better.

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